One of the coolest things about my job is getting to hunt with guys and girls who make their living entertaining people in a wide variety of ways, from hitting a baseball to rockin’ on the country music scene.

What we realize here at Realtree is that when a celebrity hunts, especially in front of a camera, that person is saying to the world, “I love to hunt and I enjoy being in the outdoors. It’s cool.”

That can do nothing but help recruit new hunters into our sport, something we should all be concerned with. What I realize is that there are a lot of well-known personalities that just simply love to hunt.

I couldn’t even begin to list all the professional baseball players who have a genuine desire to sit in a tree stand or a duck blind. The other sport that has a lot of participants endorsing hunting is NASCAR. You know the history we had with the late Dale Earnhardt and all the fantastic hunts with him on Monster Bucks.

Well, now Realtree has joined forces with Winnercomm Productions from Tulsa, Oklahoma, to help produce a brand new hunting show that will debut on ESPN2 this Sunday featuring well-known NASCAR drivers, crew chiefs, car owners, engine builders, etc. The show is called “Realtree’s Driven To Hunt” and it will air as part of the Sunday morning block behind “Realtree Outdoors.”

My favorite part of the show is the “behind the scenes” look at the guys and their lives away from the track.

For example, one of the episodes will be centered around John Bickford. Now, that name rings no bell, but Mr. Bickford is Jeff Gordon’s step dad and runs Jeff Gordon Incorporated, handling many, many requests for and businesses that include Jeff Gordon. Another episode takes the viewers inside the life away from the track with Jeff Hammond, the FOX NASCAR analyst and color commentator. Jeff is one of the most accommodating and friendliest people you would ever meet.

That kind of stuff intrigues me and I really think that, even if you’re not the biggest race fan, you will thoroughly enjoy “Realtree’s Driven To Hunt” because there is also some pretty awesome hunting action to boot!

Check out the premiere episode of “Realtree’s Driven To Hunt” this Sunday, July 1 at 7:00 a.m. EST, and then again at 9:30 a.m. After the show, post a comment here and let us know what you think. But don’t forget to catch the other premieres during The Realtree Hunting Block.

Boy does it help to have a bunch of good friends scattered around the country that love to hunt! And it doesn’t hurt when some of these friends apply for “hard to draw” hunts. And it’s even better when they call with the good news and are thrilled to allow a Realtree camera to follow along!

Well, my ol’ buddy Eddie “Big Goo” Hammond from Winona, Miss., called me a few days ago to let me know that his son, West, 14, drew one of the very limited youth tags in New Mexico for bull elk during the rut!

This was the first year the state of New Mexico held a draw for youth to have a chance to rifle hunt buglin’ bulls during a special season. I don’t even want to know how many youth from around the country put in for the special tag, but I DO know that there were very few non-resident tags available for young hunters.

I know West, and if there was ever a boy (or young man, West is over 6’1”) who will truly appreciate how big a feat this is, it is West Hammond. Talk about an all-American kid from a great family! West lives to hunt and play baseball. The Blanton family joined the Hammond family and the Reid family for the Georgia vs. Ole Miss football game in Oxford, Miss., last year and had the best time. West and all the Blanton boys spent hours throwing a football before and after the game.

Eddie is on top of his game and has selected Beaverhead Outfitters to take West on the hunt, which will take place October 6-10. The elk will be going crazy! According to Eddie, Mr. Jack Diamond and head guide Clay Heck have stated that West should have a fantastic chance at killing a 350” bull.

West will be hunting in unit 16C near Winston and guess what, I’m hoping that West Hammond is on the cover of Monster Bulls 6 with a giant bull!

One thing I know for sure, there’s going to be a proud daddy standing close by!

Let us know if you have a hunt planned with one of your children this fall. We all love to hear the cool stories about families heading outdoors together.

John Stamper has a vision, a vision that he is driven to carry out. Why? So that somewhere along the way, teenagers around the country are introduced to the outdoors, (hunting and fishing) and become more accountable for their actions as they grow into adulthood.

Stamper is the president and founder of Student Outdoor Experience and has seen first hand the decrease in our great hunting heritage. In the last twelve years while working with this generation, he has also seen the decrease in leadership abilities in our students across the nation.

And guess what? HE IS NOT AFRAID TO USE HUNTING to teach students of this generation how to better utilize all that God has blessed us with.

“I want SOE to teach students leadership and life skills utilizing the outdoors and our hunting heritage as a backdrop. We use hunting, fishing, camping and all the outdoors as a tool for teaching all their leadership conferences, expos and retreat weekends.” John told me during a conversation we had a few days ago.

Next Tuesday, June 26, I have the privilege of traveling to Bass Pro Shops in Orlando, Fla., to speak to more than 200 students on the importance of developing an affection for the outdoors and how they can get the most out of spending more time hunting and fishing.

Believe me, this is not some boring seminar. Stamper makes sure that the teaching sessions are combined with high energy, interactive programming that includes: Live bands, turkey and deer calling contests, archery shoots, fishing, NASCAR games, hunter safety courses, rock wall climbing along with “hands on” sessions.

Next week will be my first time experiencing SOE. I can’t wait. I’ll fill you in how it goes.

Yep, the dog days of summer are upon us here in Georgia. The temperatures are high, rain is scarce and the humidity is just starting to showoff and flex its muscles. And outside of wild pigs, there’s not a lot to hunt.

The good news is that the new hunting shows start airing again in less than two weeks on all the outdoor networks.

We’ve got two and a half months before our first trip of the year so we’ve been “seriously” practicing with our bows. But what helps get me through the summer the most are the emails from my buddy, Dr. Richard Reid, from Grenada, Mississippi. Well, I don’t think it’s the emails themselves as much as the attachments… the digital photos of bucks in velvet.

Richard’s diligence in the field feeding the bucks and regularly harvesting the photos each week keeps me fired up about the season ahead. Just knowing and seeing the bucks growing their “headware” is enough to motivate me to be as good as I possibly can with my bow.

Last year, I got to watch “Sydney’s buck” grow into a very impressive Mississippi 9- pointer. We had so much fun trying to guess what that deer would score as it continued to grow. In the end, we were able to determine just how good we were at field judging bucks because Richard’s oldest daughter, Sydney, killed the buck a few days after her younger sister, Sloane, missed it.

It is absolutely one of the best and most enjoyable hunts on Monster Bucks XV.

As I watch these bucks grow inch after inch of antler, I continue to marvel at the process, and one thing I’ll never understand is why “official” scores of whitetails are listed in the record book as “net” scores after all deductions of drop tines, kickers, splits, etc.

I can tell you this much. All of the well-known, serious deer hunters discuss their bucks in terms of “gross” score, counting all the inches of antler that animal grew. There really should be no deduction for an extra point or an unmatched point.

Forget other scoring systems such as water displacement or even those that don’t give credit for the spread of a set of antlers, just count the total inches of antler through tines, circumference and spread and count the gross score. What do you say?

A lot has happened in the hunting industry since my start with Realtree in 1991. Going into my 18th year working for Bill Jordan, I often look back with wonder at how God’s hand has been at work, not only in my own life, but in the hunting and outdoor sector of our country. What I am able to see so clearly now is the tremendous revival that our Lord has intended all along for men who love to spend time outdoors.

I think part of the reason for this is that many serious hunters and fishermen have grown up sitting in a tree stand or on a bass boat on Sunday mornings instead of developing a walk with God and being actively involved in Christian fellowship at a church somewhere. And I believe with all my heart God led me into the position I am in today to be used by Him to help all outdoorsmen understand the importance of a relationship with Jesus Christ. That the burdens, stress and unattainable expectations that this world puts on all of us are way, way too much to handle without God’s grace and guidance.

In the mean time, I end up with “The Greatest Job in The World,” making a living hunting all over North America. How was this accomplished?

First of all, God, like with all of his children, allowed me to make my own decisions and in my early years with Realtree, some of the decisions I made caused my walk with God to take a back seat to my career in the hunting industry. My pride and selfishness took control of my life and my job at Realtree became even more important than my family. My role as a Christian husband and father seemed less important than traveling across North America filming episodes for “Realtree Outdoors” and Monster Bucks. My marriage suffered and my family suffered and it wasn’t until God convicted me of my misplaced priorities in 1995 while on a moose hunt in British Columbia that I began to feel His hands guiding me to be a servant for Him. Through my trials over the years, God developed a testimony for me to share and He opened the doors for me to speak to outdoorsmen around the country.

Please don’t read this and think that I’ve got it all figured out now and that all of my choices are Godly. They aren’t. I still fall short of God’s expectations of me but I do know that ALL blessing come from Him and that his grace, mercy and forgiveness is plentiful and available to enable me to serve God.

Now, in more ways than one, I really do feel like I have “The World’s Greatest Job.”

In my previous blog, I mentioned the bear hunting trip to Vancouver with Jim Shockey. If ya’ll watch hunting shows at all on The Outdoor Channel, you’re well aware of "Jim Shockey’s Hunting Adventures" and how popular Jim has become throughout this world and most galaxies (at least the ones that get satellite).

As I started contemplating this trip, I wondered what would be a good “hook” for the viewers. You see, one thing we attempt to do on all episodes of "Realtree Outdoors" is develop a side story in addition to the hunting action, one that would be of interest to the audience. This secondary storyline can be entertaining, informative, educational or just downright “different” without distracting the viewer from the plot of the actual hunt.

Sometimes, but not very often, an episode will contain just the hunts and the excitement and challenges to the hunt itself.

In this case (bear hunting with Jim Shockey) I didn’t have to think at all about what the “hook” to the show would be. Actually, it would be a service to the gazillions of hunters that watch the tube. At the same time it would be almost “mystical”. I would, during the week of bear hunting, dispel the legend of Jim Shockey for all to see.

Hear me out.

Jim appears to have it all. He’s a man’s man. He is a very successful outfitter/guide, is the world’s best-known muzzleloader hunter, has the disgustingly chiseled look of a model (which he used to be), has a gorgeous and talented wife, has raised a beautiful daughter and son, travels abroad with his family, and has taken about every animal known to man with a smokepole! He probably even brings his seat-back to the “up and locked” position before landing...and he can hit a golf ball a kilometer (Jim’s a Canadian). It is enough to make me...want to set the record straight.

You heard it here first. On this particular episode that will air late August I set out to take a huge black bear and to also expose chinks in the Shockey armor. I am fairly successful in accomplishing this (well, not really) but I did uncover an amazing secret—Jim Shockey has a STUNT DOUBLE!

That’s right! All the hunts you watch where “Jim” is holding his ground while being charged and stomped by an irate water buffalo is an employee of Jim’s. Cody Robbins is his name. Now, there are a lot of similarities between Jim and Cody, and to the untrained eye and the average viewer, they can get away with this. They are both Canadian; they both drive trucks; they drink coffee in the morning; love to hunt; etc.

I don’t suppose Jim thought about him being 2 feet taller than Cody, having no braces and NOT a strand of red hair!

There’s more to this story, but you'll have to watch the show to find out what happens.

Reporting LIVE,
Detective Blanton

I returned last week from hunting with Jim Shockey in his territory on Vancouver Island. This is the second time I’ve been there to hunt with Shockey. The first time, five years ago, Michael Waddell and I spent a week together hunting for world-class black bears that call the island home. Michael and I flipped a coin; I lost, so I videoed Michael taking a really big bear after several days of spotting and stalking with the camera.

Without a doubt, videoing “spot and stalk” hunts are the toughest when it comes to getting awesome footage.

When I talk about “spot and stalk” hunts, I’m referring to hunting animals that are not going to be responsive to a call. For example, moose hunting during the rut could be viewed a type of “spot and stalk” but the big difference is the fact that a bull moose can be called in close to the hunter.

“Spot and stalk” gun hunts are not as difficult to capture on video as bowhunts, but physically these type of hunts can be just as grueling.

On this past trip to Vancouver Island, “Realtree Outdoors” producer John Tate was literally “running” camera. Every time a big bear was spotted, Jim, John and myself would sprint to either get into position, keep the wind in our favor or just try to catch up to the bear… and since I was carrying my TC ProHunter muzzleloader, distance was somewhat of a factor.

Shockey has packed his share of gear, meat and hides out of the toughest of country in the Yukon, but he was amazed at the distance and speed at which John could pack the 60 pounds of camera and tripod. In fact, Shockey had doubts that we would be successful with our “big, broadcast quality” camera and tripod instead of using the smaller, handheld cameras.

After we were successful on the third day, getting unbelievable footage at a distance of 120 yards (which wouldn’t have been an opportunity at all with a smaller camera), Jim admitted that he had given John every reason in the world to give up on the big camera and resort to the smaller one.

John Tate would have none of it.

And that mindset is a huge reason why we take pride in the quality of our footage.

This episode of "Realtree Outdoors" will air August 26 on ESPN2 at 8:30 a.m.

It was Saturday night, 8:55 in Colstrip, Montana, a small town in eastern Montana. You’ve probably never heard of it.

Harman and I had spent the day hunting turkeys with Jerry McPherson, of Montana Decoy Company, and had lived a day that was close to perfection. We were hungry and were fixing to make the 30-minute drive back to Forsyth where we were staying in a farmhouse. We knew we’d better grab something to eat soon or we would be out of choices. Jerry told us there was a Subway in town and that was probably going to be our only option.

Harman and I walked through the door and asked if they were still open; the girl replied that they closed in five minutes. We’d made it! Believe me, for a 17 year old that was huge!

We sat down in a booth about the time the “OPEN” sign was turned off and we were informed that we were welcome to stay as long as we wanted. It was one of those inconspicuous moments that I wish I could have frozen in time.

As we sat there and talked, with not another soul in the restaurant, I was overcome with a deep sense of satisfaction that is hard to explain...and we hadn’t even killed a bird that day.

Harman and I talked about the beautiful country we’d walked through. We couldn’t believe that a mountain lion had been seen, apparently making its way to our calling. Harman wanted to know how all the polished river rock had been deposited way up in the hills overlooking the Yellowstone River bottoms. (We found out later that is was by way of a massive glacier.) We talked about the antelopes we’d seen. Harman wanted to know how the land compared to the Black Hills of Wyoming where he’d be hunting in September. Once again, we counted down the number of days until then. We talked about his relationship with his girlfriend back home. Harman even wondered why it seemed like he and his mom were clashing lately.

All this was long after our sandwiches were gone. By now the crew had finished their nightly duties of cleaning up (around us) and we excused ourselves and headed back up the road to Forsyth. The talks continued, only now with a little country music as a backdrop.

The feeling on content I had can’t be understood unless you’re a parent that has children that are growing up way too fast and there doesn’t seem to be enough time to capture their attention and thoughts.

Maybe this is why God invented hunting.

Here are the remaining show descriptions for "Realtree Road Trips." And like Monster Bucks, you can buy "Realtree Road Trips" Season 4 DVD in the RealStore today! Just click on the RealStore link in the previous sentence. Hope everyone has a great weekend!

"Realtree Road Trips" 2007 Show Schedule
Appearing on: The Outdoor Channel
Airtimes: (Sunday 9pm; Sunday 12pm; Monday 12am; Wednesday 6:30pm)
Show Descriptions:

August 13—Colorado Deer Part 1- Longtime friend and country music singer Rhett Akins joins Michael Waddell and Aaron Nielson, of Adventures Wild in southeastern Colorado, for a spot-and-stalk mule deer and whitetail escapade. Watch as Michael encounters a world-class whitetail and Rhett does a lot of crawling on some muleys. And you know that any show with Akins in it also has some pickin’ and grinnin’.

August 20—Colorado Deer Part 2- The second half of our Colorado mule deer/whitetail show gets very interesting. Michael spots a huge non-typical muley out in the flats and it’s up to him and his guide, Aaron Nielson, to get within shooting distance. The question is: does he or does he not? Guess that’s a question that can sum up a lot of things.

August 27—Kentucky Turkey- Road Trips is going a little Bluegrassy at Thompson Center’s Game Trails as songwriter Rusty Tabor joins Waddell and Hunter’s Specialty Pro Staffer Alex Rutledge on a turkey hunt with some down-home people. That’s right, no celebrities on this turkey smashin’, just down-to-earth people (not that celebrities aren’t down-to-earth, but you get the point). See what it’s like when the “normals” get in front of the camera.

September 3—Texas Vatoville Deer- We’re back visiting Steve Anderson’s place in Sonora, Texas, and this time the mother/son team of Lorrie Morgan (yes, the country singer) and Jessie Whitley get a little mad at some whitetails. Lorrie experiences Buck Fever for the first time, while Jessie simply can’t decide on which buck to take. Heck, even Jordan Anderson, Steve’s daughter, gets in on the action. And when the hunting is done, The World Series of Poker breaks out at camp and Michael shows why he’s not sitting at a table in Vegas.

September 10—New Mexico Elk- Since Michael was a young boy, Edwin Waddell has taken him hunting. Well, Michael returns the favor to Ol’ Pops with a dream hunt in New Mexico. Edwin is stoked for this one and Michael sets everything else aside to be beside his father as he tries to tag his first elk. Team Realtree friend, Derold Zimmerman, is also in camp and has an interesting turn of events with his video hunt. See what happens when things go wrong with cameras.

September 17—Indiana Whitetail- It’s the virgin trip to Indiana for the Road Trips gang as they go after some serious whitetails. We join up with Scott Shultz, “Mr. Scentblocker,” along with friends Al and Chris Collins on their farm in northern Indiana. A sleeper spot for some monster whitetails, this trip turns into one of the best deer trips of the year. And if you want to find out if a snort-wheeze call really works, just watch as Michael puts it to the test in the Hoosier State.

September 24—The Mystery Show- We just can't tell you about this one. You'll just have to watch it to find out what goes down on this show!